Peter Crouch has broken his silence on Stoke City’s calamitous relegation campaign by admitting the club failed to replace too many good players.

Crouch, who scored five goals in 14 league starts and 17 sub appearances last season, admitted the team lacked goals after losing the likes of Marko Arnautovic last summer.

But he insisted strikers alone were not to blame for a goal tally of 35 in 38 league fixtures.

The former England striker has returned to the club this week after being granted a few days extra leave and insists he is cool about playing in the Championship if no move materialises before the August 9 transfer deadline.

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“It was a difficult season for a number of reasons,” says the giant striker, reflecting on Stoke’s demise after a decade in the Premier League. “The big factor for me was that we lost some good players from our squad and didn’t replace them properly.

“Some of the lads that were digging us out of games over the previous couple of years were gone and we didn’t have any answers when things started to go badly wrong last season.

Peter Crouch nets on the final day of the season at Swansea (Image: Leanne Bagnall)

“There was a lack of goals in the team, and while you can say the strikers are to blame for that, there are other reasons why we were not scoring goals.

“You need the service as a striker and maybe that wasn’t there enough, but what has gone has gone now.”

Crouch, whose interview appears on the Plant Football website, continued: “We also lost a very good manager in Mark Hughes and that was difficult for the club, but I would never have anything but good things to say about Stoke.

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“The record confirms that I have played more times for Stoke than any other club in my career and I’ve loved every minute of my time there, even when it was tough at times last season.”

Not for the first time, the 37 year-old veteran is half expected to leave in this window and so end his seven-year association with Stoke City.

Peter Crouch celebrates his goal at West Ham in April, but admits Stoke scored too few last season (Image: Getty)

But he insists he will be more than happy to add to his 235 senior appearances for the club - even in the second tier - if he remains in the Potteries to slug it out alongside the likes of new signing Benik Afobe in attack next season.

“I feel like there is unfinished business for me at Stoke,” he revealed.

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“I still have a year left on my contract and while I don’t know what is going to happen in the next few weeks, I’d have no problem playing in the Championship next season and trying to get the club back into the Premier League at the first attempt.

“Stoke have a wonderful set of fans, a great set-up in so many areas of the club, and it is a club that should be in the Premier League.

“Hopefully, I am one of those who get the chance to get Stoke back where they belong next season.”